Savory Strata for Breakfast

Happy Cinco de Mayo, drunk Americans!

Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. We've talked about this before. This works well for me, because there are just a ton of statistics about the benefits of breakfast.

• Improved mental performance
• More success in dieting for women (if mid-morning snacks are averted)
• People who eat breakfast have lower rates of Type 2 Diabetes and/or heart failure
• Lower cholesterol, insulin levels, and smaller waist circumferences
• Blah blah blah (Source for all bullets)

I'm sure you could find a bunch of statistics about why breakfast is bad for you too, but this is my blog and I am biased towards breakfast. So....

Usually I'm an egg white omelette person, but occasionally enjoy some oats or some cereal. But when I've got a leisurely morning on my hands, I'm all about making something extra special. 

Also, you are definitely going to be hungover tomorrow, so you're going to need some solid AM nutrition to pull you out of that tequila headache. Plan ahead. 

Savory Breakfast Strata
4 hearty servings
adapted from Cabot Cheese

Cooking spray
3 large slices whole wheat bread
1 tsp EVOO
1 small white onion, sliced
1 cooked chicken sausage, sliced (TJ's has the best selection!) 
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and halved
1/2 c. grated parmesan
4 eggs
1 c. 100% egg whites
1/4 c. nonfat plain greek yogurt
healthy grind of pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray and line the bottom with one layer of whole wheat bread. Get creative.

In a frying pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Saute onions until soft, then toss in sliced sausage and saute until lightly crispy.

Layer onions and sausage over the bread.

Drain artichokes, slice in half, and press out any extra liquid. Layer those over the onions and sausage.

Sprinkle an even layer of parmesan cheese.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, yogurt, salt, and pepper.

Pour evenly over the dish, making sure all is level in the end.

Bake for 40 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave strata in the oven for 30 more minutes. Weird method, but trust me, it makes those eggs perfect.

By using whole wheat bread, lean chicken sausage, egg whites, and less cheese that packs more flavor, I've adapted the original recipe into something that won't leave you feeling guilty or gluttonous. You could easily make this recipe vegetarian by omitting sausage or using a meat substitute like morningstar farms "sausage", a boca burger, tempeh, or tofu. Extra protein is good for you. Also, you could add more veggies. This would be excellent with spinach, broccoli, asparagus, or bell peppers.

Here's the best part:

               Cals, Carbs, Fat, Prot., Fiber, Sugar

ps, I used myfitnesspal.com to do this

For the ingredients I used (200 calorie sausage, 80 calorie bread), my heaping serving was less than 300 calories and 25 grams of protein! It could def use more fiber, but that's what a side of fruit is for!

I think this qualifies as a breakfast of champions!